​Wow - can't believe we are all well on our way into this Challenge. I am having so much more fun this time with this subject. Wait until you see them all hung above my closet doors! Great decorating idea and talk about saving money...... just kidding.

I didn't get a photo of the background before starting on this yesterday. Finally got all my Xmas decorations down and put away so that took most of my day.

Anyway I am in such a great place in my life that dreaming of being somewhere tropical on a vacation was high on my "dream" list today. I am going to be wearing a shoe like this in June when I go to Cabo! If you are interested in how an artist can afford to do that you'll have to message me to find out. I did use my artistic license to change a few things on the shoe I was referencing but overall I love it...... I will need to be painting some more backgrounds today.

This selection takes me back to my ancestry in Scotland and early American settlers in Maryland. I would love to own a pair of these shoes for just that reason -- but I'll settle for this painting for now. Maybe since there is a personal connection to the "tartan" plaid I had little trouble on this one from the start. I knew I wanted a more even webbed background using two greens, permanent red and quin magenta with the white lines added on top when I put the shoe into the background. I could rename this for St. Patrick's Day as well. What do you think?

I really liked the flowers on this shoe and had an idea which had to be changed because my blues got too dark. That's life when you paint. Now could I make this a "happy" mistake. As I've said before Dr. Ph. Martin Hydrus watercolors are staining -- especially the darker pigments. Even though these are diluted when sprayed they take to the clay surface and penetrate it so even though it can be lifted with scrubbing without damaging the surface, I didn't want to go there. So I let the colors be the colors of the flowers on the shoe. I did lift out the whites as much as possible and brought out more brilliant pinks for the toe. The webbing suggests crystals like frost so that gave me the idea for which the name reflects -- this shoe is stepping out of winter into spring. I'm happy with the result and the flowers will have to emerge on another shoe some day -- maybe even during the Challenge.​​Stepping Into Spring Pump 6x6 Watercolor on AquaBord 2" cradle

As I was lifting as my second step after spraying the background I probably could have masked more of the shoe so it wasn't so dark from the purple. Dr. Ph. Martin Hydrus watercolors are very staining and even on AquaBord which you can usually lift back to the white doesn't lift all the way when you've used the darker staining colors. I tried yellow first on the lifted areas but finally decided to go with the chrome yellow so the shoe would even come forward. I might try this one again and drip the colors down the shoe as a second spraying. Anyway, this one is done for today's painting. I would still wear this on Easter Sunday if I had the money to buy a pair of pumps - instead it can hang it above my closet doors until someone else decides to take it to their house. Not a bad decorating idea when you have several...... I'll post when I'm finished with this series at the end of the 30 days.... My Easter Pump 6x6 Watercolor on AquaBord 2" cradle

This painting went through another stage in creating the painting I had envisioned from the beginning. It has a totally different feel which I hope the viewer sees. It was a little more work than I really had anticipated but I'm finished. I didn't like the shape of the first shoe and had to add to the toe. I wanted the background to represent a winter scene so added some white and then ended up spraying with toothbrush pearl white and the same blue in the shoe which is an Iridescent Electric Blue. It is difficult with the shine coming off the shoe to photograph it. It will be interesting to see when it is varnished (sealed) how that affects the color. I learned a thing or two on this one. See previous posts​"Icy Winter Pump" Watercolor 6x6 AquaBord 2" Cradle

I decided to improve upon my first painting which was posted on Jan 4th. I will show the progression below of the three photos. I am finally pleased with the outcome. Will post on Day 7I decided that the background needed some "heart" sentiments to push the shoe forward and I didn't particularly like the pink in the background around the shoe. I added more of gamboge and yellow to the background around the lower part of the painting since the supper left corner had some so achieve some unity of color. It will need to be sealed with Archival Varnish. When you paint on AquaBord the colors will be even more brillant after spraying and adding layers using brushed layers of the same medium. Comments anyone? Don't we all love Valendtine's Day -- what a nice gift for a special lady...... The two previous positings can be seen on my www.diananadal.blogspot.com site.​

This is really my Day 2 in the Challenge. Hopefully I will catch up before the end of the Challenge. I did do this more quickly today because I had a lot going on. I love the background but the "blue" in the pump could have been a bit lighter. I can still change it at some ponit if I want before sealing it. 6x6x2 AquaBord cradle entitled: Icy Winter Pump

This is my Day 1 and I'll get caught up before the end of the month hopefully. It was quick and lots of fun lifting in the middle of the night on the sole of the pump. I liked the variety in the hearts on the toe of the pump but really want to do more with the background so you may see a change here before long (tomorrow). 6x6 AquaBord 2" cradle using watercolor and it will be sealed eventually. "Be My Valentine Pump."

Unfortunately I couldn't start on January 1st but decided I should still join the Challenge today. I do really like how it makes you inspired and since I already paint every day it doesn't put that much more pressure on my schedule.I hope you will enjoy my posts here and on my blog on my website. Take a peek at Leslie's website where almost a thousand artists are posting as part of this Challenge. I would love to see your comments and if you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask.It is easier for me to do 4 at a time when using the 6x6 AquaBord cradles. Here I've selected four"pumps" which goes along with my series from last year. I next decided on the webbing pattern and which colors I wanted to use. Tomorrow I will add the details of the shoe to the background. It is so much fun...... and let me be the first to get your thinking about Valentine's day. I'll post the progress.

I was attending the Watercolor Society of Oregon Fall Convention in Hermiston, OR earlier this month. My husband went out for a hike while I was taking the mini workshops and critiques. He came upon this bird in the brush and scraggily Juniper stumps. We later learned it was a magpie. I love the color and drama he created in his environment and wanted to use my webbing and spraying technique as the background. I chose the colors I thought would reflect the area and then played him up. Still working on the branches. This is painted on a 16x20 AquaBord panel so it is easy to lift and then apply more paint. As I have said before the Dr. Ph. Martin Hydrus Watercolors are staining so you usually can't get back to the white of the board but close. Any comments? I think some more darks are in order and the nest or burl in the tree might be drawing too much attention.

This is the underpainting and I really love the colors and how they blended in the spraying process. Several family members don't want me to change a thing and just hang it. I am trying to be brave and look at the shapes to develop an abstract painting coming out through the colorful backdrop. I feel some movement coming from the left but don't want it to overtake the beautiful colors on the right. I see several interesting shapes to develop so wish me luck. If you have comments I hope you know they are always welcomed.

Yesterday the wind stopped long enough for me to be outside and be able to spray over the webbing. I had a photo of many brightly colored nets and floats just heaped on the shore and loved the colors. There was a lot more red than you see right now. I'll have to develop the net structure throughout and decide where the floats are going to be. I love this part of the process and the colors turned out especially nice this time. I use the Dr. Ph. Martin concentrated pigments and spray them on the dampened surface of the AquaBord (12 x 36) in this case. This time I used yellow ochre, and permanent red, cad red, aqua, payne's gray and phalo blue. I never know how the colors are going to combine. I attempted to add some texture with other items placed on the sprayed surface but they don't really show up.

Sometimes I'm tempted to just leave the painting as is and I certainly will be enjoying it in this state for a few days while I decide on the next step. STAY TUNED! I love comments and feedback either here, Facebook or my email.

Paintings 3 and 4 of my contribution for the Village Gallery Art Challenge which opens on Mary 5th at 10:00 am. The one on the right is entitled "Blue Vipor." I wanted to find a snake with yellow and blue and found the Blue Vipor which can be found in India. Real snakeskin shoes have always been a luxury and now you can own one without any harm to the reptile and at a bargain price.﻿

Painting 4 is based on a pump which was created from a watercolor. I entitled it "Watercolor Bliss." Obviously the background is very typical of a painting with watercolor so I wanted the shoe to be different in texture and color.

Both paintings are 6x6 on ClayBord mounted on a 6x6 canvas cradle and sealed. I like the backgrounds just the way I originally sprayed them.

On the Fast Track--Cheetah Pump Watercolor on 6x6 ClayBord to be mounted to canvas cradle and sealed

It has been a lot of fun painting this shoe series! If I were younger I would love to design "fun" shoes and of course they would have to be comfortable which pumps often are not. I'm pretty happy with the shoe designs but haven't decided on changes to be made to either of the backgrounds. Any thoughts or comments are always welcomed (either here on this site or in an email if you want).

I might want to make the cheetah's facial features stronger is one thought but I do like the background since it kind of represents their lair.

Kick Up Your Heels--Calico Pump Watercolor on 6x6 ClayBord to be mounted to canvas cradle and sealed

This one was a little tricky and I made up the design from researching calico prints and especially the bandana prints. I would love to have a pair like these to wear with denim skirt and a matching bandana for a casual party. I love to wear slings anyway. I'm concerned about the background in the in between areas around the heel and the top by the sling ties.

It has been a tough couple of weeks with Joe starting his Stem Cell collection phase of the Transplant. He is hanging in there like a real trooper! Obviously the focus has been on his needs. I was getting restless and grumpy so I decided to begin the painting aspect of this project. I've been selecting shoes I love and that are interesting as well as planning which colors I might use for the background.

If you liked my two "pumps" from the 30 Day Challenge I hope you will follow these as they get painted. I found so many awesome shoes so there might be a lot more on the horizon. Maybe you have a pair of favorite shoes you want to hang outside your closet.

I'm thinking the title for this project should be something like "The Perfect Pumps" for my wardrobe -- of course these are less expensive and no animals were harmed in their creation...Any help in naming would be appreciated.

Yeah! This was quite a journey this time. I felt so much more at ease with creating paintings each day. I was confident in my choice to use the webbing and spraying technique with Dr. Ph. Martin Hydrus Watercolors as the under painting in each piece as a first step which one two occasions ended up being the painting. It was an adventure to see what image or focal point I ended up with. I hope you enjoyed the "before" and "after" images on the blog. I also finished 4 paintings that I had been hesitating about which direction I wanted to go with them.THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

Thanks especially to Leslie for hosting the site and creating this event. She is a marvelous human being and so talented to boot. Secondly I have to say "thanks" to my husband, daughter and grandson since they have to put up with me being the focus of what happens and doesn't happen each day. My house definitely needs a thorough cleaning starting today! My friends and extended family were so important in the daily responses to my creations. They lifted my spirits and gave me that extra little nudge to approach each new day with positive energy.

Now it is time to market my art and get back on that track. You can purchase any of these paintings right here on this website. If you are in the Portland area you can make an appointment to come and see them in person. I would welcome your visit.

This final painting of the Challenge is also done with my webbing and spraying technique. I almost made two paintings out of the under painting but decided to try to develop an underwater ocean scene with the shapes which had been created. I'm happy that I decided to go with one because I could put in a few fish which I had promised my Grandson Will that I would add the next time I did one with the fishing theme. I did a little research on the "Brown Algae" that grows from the ocean floor upwards. That was my education lesson for the day. I've only been snorkeling once but think I need to go to warm waters and check it out again.

I'm one of the luckiest people to have such awesome friends and family! Thanks to each one of you who have commented and kept up my enthusiasm and creative juices flowing. I couldn't have done it without you! I learned more about myself and my emotions when deciding on a subject and design to enhance what is already there in the first layer. I love to paint even more and plan on continuing to commit to being in my studio each day.

Now to the marketing phase which isn't as much fun and obviously lots of work. If you are interested in purchasing any of these paintings, please let me know. Keep checking back on my website and blogs to see what I'm up to next......

Today I came to terms with this underpainting. I just couldn't decide what to do with it since the webbing didn't come through as much as I intended. I just went for what I wanted to see in this 3rd in the series of Fishing nets and floats. It is very colorful and you all know how much I love that in any painting. I'll have to see if I end up doing more of the nets but I like the space alotted to the floats without being overshadowed by the nets. I probably will do one more in this series on the 12x36 AquaBord.

It is hard to believe that I started this painting with my webbing and spraying technique using yellows and reds. I thought of my favorite French rooster as a good subject with those colors. Before today I had completed the two hens and the rooster, except for the tail feathers. After critique there were several suggestions on making the background enhance the rooster by darkening around him. When we were chasing them all over the property at Maison Blanche in France there were wonderful shadows from the chestnut and hazelnut trees so I decided to add the tree shadow colors and the chicken coop to the background. It definitely is darker now and the he does "pop" more. I had to change the design to the diagonal with the horizon line obscured. I might need to rename the painting "le coq gaulois" the unofficial symbol of France. He also has a look that says, "Don't mess with my hens!"

This is a full sheet painting and he makes quite a statement when hanging in a room.

This is a sneak peak at a painting I had started awhile back and had been waiting for a "quiet" time to be able to concentrate on the detail work which remained. This really isn't that "quiet" time but I wanted to get this painting finished to complete my series on the Fishing Nets and Floats. I painted yesterday and early this morning on this part of the painting. I still have a third of the painting left to finish so that is the "sneak" part of this. Look for the finished painting on this blog after the 30 Day Challenge is finished.

The dock at the Port at Saint Jean de Luz in France is one of those places which you always want to return to. We have been there twice now. It has the quaint resort town with a small port. The combined cultures of architecture, food, and art of both the French and the Basque communities is unique. Finally it has an historical attraction since King Louis XIV of France married the King of Spain’s daughter, Maria Theresa, in Saint Jean de Luz in June 1660. This royal wedding is one of the most important political marriages in France's history.

This was a fun collaboration using an image from a cycling friend of my husband. It was fun to know what I was going to paint before placing the webbing and spraying the concentrated watercolor pigments for a change. There was a lot more detail work to get this the way I wanted it to look. I extended the painting out as you can see from the background image to 11 x 14 but decided to crop it for the Challenge. I like both but the smaller image definitely puts the focus on the red boot. I liked the larger painting because it didn't place the boot in the center. What do you think?

From the first time I looked at this underpainting I saw a figure and it seemed like more fun that a bird to do today. It is a simple painting and that is what I needed to do today. I'm also working on a second painting which is more complex so you'll see that one tomorrow.

When looking at the underpainting for inspiration on this one I saw rocks and what was left of some flowers since it was Fall. It reminded me of a photo I took while on our morning walk in the neighborhood and there was a perfect spider web glistening in the morning sunlight attached to every object within 5-6 feet. It had entangled the web in the spent buds of a tall plant with just the seed pods left. This was my inspiration.

I'm looking forward to summer when the dragonflies dart around the yard and pool. They seldom stop to rest. They are so fun to watch and hard to photograph. I just had to paint one before the 30 days Challenge ends. Hope you like it.

Several years ago I painted a Flamenco dancer series. My Flamenco Dancer IV was the painting featured in many of my shows, used on the cover of the Valero CD made by the Otterbourne Brass Band in "England, the cover painting for the Dade Heritage Trust in Miami, FL for an historic fund raiser invitation and one of the most visited paintings on my website over the years.I put a couple paintings in the drawer and the one you see below has been cropped, and the background refreshed. It was painted on Yupo so it is very fragile when not sealed so there needed to be some touch-ups. I decided to center the focus on the shoes rather than the dancer because the footwork of the dance is so complex and important. Though I had reworked it in December it has never been published on my website or been in a show. So tonight I bring it out as part of this Challenge.

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Sharing my paintings with others is one of the joys in my life. Educating others about how I paint and the media I use is very important and why I wanted to reach out through this blog. Hope you will add a comment about what you see.